The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Cuphea that is grown for use as an annual plant for container or for use as a perennial plant for the landscape in frost-free regions. The new cultivar is known botanically as Cuphea llavea×procumbens and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’.
The new Cuphea cultivar ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ is a hybrid plant that resulted from the induced cross-pollination conducted by the inventor in June 2001 at the inventor's nursery in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ was selected by the inventor in December 2003 based on light red flowers and open upright habit.
The inventor cross-pollinated an individual plant of the seed parent, Cuphea llavea ‘Tiny Mice’ (unpatented) and an individual plant of the pollen parent Cuphea procumbens (species, not a cultivar, unpatented). Observing that the resulting seedlings exhibited a range of flower colors and flower shapes, the inventor set aside several hundred of these seedlings for further growth trials in order to select the most promising combination of uniqueness of flower shape, flower color, and compactness of plant habit. Three, individual and distinct clones were selected from the seedling population by the inventor, in 2003. One selection constitutes the present invention, ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’. The other two selections are the subject of the inventor's co-pending applications, ‘FLAMENCO TANGO’ U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/334,620 and ‘FLAMENCO SAMBA’ U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/334,128.
‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ exhibits open upright habit, large hairy flower buds, large light red flowers, and dark yellow-green foliage. Propagation is accomplished using vegetative cuttings. The closest comparison plant known to the inventor is the inventor's co-pending variety ‘FLAMENCO SAMBA’, which exhibits dark red flowers and dense upright plant habit. ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ is distinguishable from the comparison plant by light red flowers and open upright habit.
The new cultivar ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ is distinguishable from the seed parent by flower color, and lobes on an individual flower. The seed parent ‘Tiny Mice’ bears small orange flowers that individually exhibit two identical, fused lobes, whereas ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ bears light red flowers that individually exhibit six sub-equal lobes. ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ is distinguishable from the pollen parent by flower color and plant habit. Cuphea procumbens exhibits a spreading habit and bears purple flowers, whereas ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ exhibits an upright open habit and bears light red flowers.
The first asexual propagation was accomplished by the inventor in 2003 at the inventor's nursery in Brisbane, Australia. The method of propagation used was vegetative cuttings. Since that time, the distinguishing characteristics of ‘FLAMENCO RUMBA’ have been determined stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.